By David N. Harding, Staff Writer
In a world growing more dangerous by the day, Americans deserve leadership that prioritizes their safety, not global appeasement. Yet the Left continues to promote a national security strategy centered around what it calls “protection, inclusion, alliances, and global stability.” These buzzwords, laid out in progressive forums like Just Security by national security advisor Kate Martin, are often code for weakening borders, outsourcing decisions to global institutions, and tying the hands of our military with endless diplomatic red tape (Just Security, Oct. 2018). While progressives frame this as forward-thinking and compassionate, the reality is this approach leaves America exposed to real threats—from adversarial nations to border insecurity.
The conservative approach, by contrast, is clear-eyed and rooted in the proven principle of “peace through strength.” It’s not about isolation or recklessness—it’s about defending our people, projecting power responsibly, and refusing to bow to the whims of nations or ideologies hostile to our values. As President Ronald Reagan famously said, “We maintain the peace through our strength; weakness only invites aggression.” That principle guided a generation of conservative leadership during the Cold War and is just as relevant today as rogue states like Iran and North Korea test the limits of U.S. resolve.
Progressives claim that conservatives are “militaristic” or “overly aggressive,” but this is a distortion of fact. Conservative foreign policy has consistently focused on smart engagement, not endless wars. Eldridge Colby, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, emphasized this during his testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, where he warned against “overextension and distraction” in places like Ukraine while China rises as the true long-term threat to U.S. interests (Politico, March 4, 2025). This kind of strategic realism is missing from the progressive playbook, which tends to treat all threats equally—even when they’re not.
Another key issue where conservatives break from the Left is on border security. For years, progressives have downplayed or outright dismissed the threat posed by porous borders, favoring lax immigration enforcement in the name of “inclusion.” But a 2022 Pew Research study found that while 82% of conservative Republicans say increasing security along the southern border should be a top priority, only 22% of liberal Democrats agree (Pew Research, Sept. 2022). That kind of disconnect explains why conservative leaders emphasize not just physical barriers, but also visa tracking, deportation of criminal aliens, and ending loopholes that allow cartels and traffickers to exploit the system.
Equally important is how each side views American sovereignty. The progressive mindset often favors yielding authority to international organizations and multilateral agreements that dilute U.S. independence. In contrast, conservatives argue that cooperation with allies is important—but never at the cost of self-governance. Writing for Foreign Policy, researcher Emma Ashford criticized the reflexive internationalism of both parties, but noted that conservatives are increasingly returning to a foreign policy model rooted in defending national sovereignty and avoiding unaccountable entanglements (Foreign Policy, Nov. 7, 2022).
And let’s not forget that under President Donald Trump, we saw a realignment of U.S. national security priorities—away from “nation-building” and toward protecting American interests. Trump strengthened NATO by demanding allies pay their fair share, pulled out of the disastrous Iran nuclear deal, and brokered historic peace agreements in the Middle East through the Abraham Accords. These actions weren’t reckless—they were rooted in common-sense diplomacy backed by credible deterrence.
Looking ahead, Trump's 2024 platform laid out a clear plan to restore national security: finish securing the border, rebuild military readiness, stop endless wars, and stand firm against the growing threat from China. As the campaign website states, "President Trump will reassert American strength and leadership in the world—without entangling the U.S. in foreign conflicts that do not serve our national interest" (DonaldJTrump.com, 2024 Platform).
Progressives want you to believe that a kinder, gentler foreign policy makes us safer. History—and the present—prove otherwise. Peace comes from strength. Security comes from borders. And freedom comes from never apologizing for putting America first.
#AmericaFirst #PeaceThroughStrength #SecureOurBorder #NationalSovereignty #ConservativeForeignPolicy #Trump2024 #NationalSecurityNow #RejectGlobalism
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